It’s an absolutely stacked field competing for the $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile crown. The horse race goes down Saturday, September 17, and you’ll want to read this article all the way through for expert betting advice on who wins at Woodbine.
What Is The Woodbine Mile?
The Woodbine Mile might not have the name value of a Kentucky Derby or Preakness, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a high-stakes event. To put what the Woodbine Mile is in simple terms is a Grade I race for thoroughbreds at least three years old. It’s part of the Breeders Cup Challenge, so the winner gets an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Mile come November. Oh, and did we mention there are a million dollars on the line? Cause there is.
The Woodbine Racetrack will be held in Toronto, as has been the case since the inaugural race in 1988. It became a one-miler in 1997. During the same year, the track went away from dirt in favor of turf too. It’s become one of the most marquee turf races in the Americas since this shift. Big-name horses such as star racehorses such as Dance Smartly, Skip Away, Leroidesanimaux, Shakespeare, Wise Dan, Tepin, and World Approval have won here before.
The field will include 11 starters on Saturday, and there’s a lot of name power in the mix. The next section will cover the top contenders to win, but let’s quickly take a look at current betting odds. Well-used horse racing betting sites have marked these horses as the favorites ahead of the race:
| Horse |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Modern Games | +140 | +140 |
| Ivar | +400 | +400 |
| Wakanaka | +1000 | +1000 |
| Finest Sound | +1000 | +1000 |
| Homer Screen | +1000 | +1000 |
| Get Smokin | +1000 | +1000 |
| March To The Arch | +1200 | +1200 |
| Mighty Heart | +2000 | +2000 |
Who Is Racing In The 2022 Woodbine Mile?
There’s no shortage of talent who are racing in the 2022 Woodbine Mile. While we can’t cover all of them, we did want to highlight some of the top betting favorites below:
Town Cruise
Daisuke Fukumoto and Town Cruise will be returning to the fold this Saturday. The duo won the 2021 race by 2 1/4-lengths as +800 longshots. However, Town Cruise has faded ever since the million-dollar victory. In its three starts after, it’s topped out eighth and fifth on two occasions. Has Town Cruise peaked? Now age seven, it appears so. It feels like the upside for the champs is closer to third or fourth than first.
Modern Games
A lot of eyes will be on Modern Games and jockey William Buick. The three-year-old colt is led by European trainer Charlie Appleby, who is no stranger to success — particularly at Woodbine. Appleby racked up eight Grade 1 wins in North America all of 2021, three of which at Woodbine. One of those three came from Modern Games, who ran to victory at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. However, a Woodbine Mile win still eludes Appleby. But if there’s ever a horse to change that, it’s the speedy Modern Games.
Mighty Heart
Alright, we just HAD to mention Mighty Heart, who is the unquestioned fan favorite going into Saturday. For one, the horse will be at “home.” It won the Canadian Horse of the Year on two occasions. But more than that, Mighty Heart is also one-eyed. Tell me, who can get themselves to root against that? But don’t think Mighty Heart is just a cute story. With six wins in 20 starts — including the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes in 2020 — this five-year-old can really race with the best of them.
Best Bet To Win 2022 Woodbine Mile
Picking a single bet to win the 2022 Woodbine Mile wasn’t easy. As we’ve repeated, this competition field is stacked with worthy contenders. But despite all that, we kept coming back to Mighty Heart over and over again. We really feel it's the horse’s race to lose.
As always, trainers matter. While the aforementioned Appleby is tough to contend with, Mighty Heart has a Hall of Fame trainer in Josie Carrol. The two have posted a 6-2-5 record over the years, including the near 2020 Canadian Triple Crown. Owning the number one post position also helps Mighty Heart here. When you factor everything, betting on Mighty Heart is really a must-do.
How To Watch & Bet On 2022 Woodbine Mile
The Woodbine Mile isn’t the only race on tap in Toronto this week. Two other races — Pattinson Summer Stakes and Natalma Stakes — are also scheduled at the track. All three races can be watched on live broadcasts through FanDuel TV.
When you’re ready to lay down some bets — which should be now if you’ve read this far — you can visit one of the underneath bookies to lock in action. The bookmakers featured in the table are the “best of the best” in a number of factors like sign-up bonus quality, customer service, and overall ease of use.
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